Can't say I've tried this one. Every time I seriously consider spending the cash, I remember that you can do it this way:

Get one of those glasslike acrylic bottles, or use a plastic "bottle", or reinforce a soda can. Run the thread from a hookup point on your body through a hole (smoothed out, of course) near the neck of the bottle, and then to the usual stuff.

(This is an easy setup to get into if you attach the thread to the cap of the 20oz. bottle. Remove the cap, place in pocket, Bingo, you're hooked up.)

Hook up the glass in the usual way. For the "rising and falling" effect, simply move your body away from, or nearer to, the bottle. With your arm at full extension, the glass should come up to the bottle for detachment.

That's it. No electronics to go wrong, and it can be assembled for less than $5.00. If nothing else, it should give you an idea of how the effect will play, once you do go ahead and spend the money!

Karen, if you are looking for a staggering effect with a coke can, try that thing by Tim Ellis: Rubenstein has the low down. You pop open a can of coke, pour it out, then crush the can. Saying that you'll go back in time, the can VISIBLY reinflates--I mean the damn can expands and the wrinkles straighten out. Then you pop it open and pour out a coke. It is brilliant!P.S. Sorry to hear about the pooch.

Richard, Just a note: the "thing by Tim Ellis" is actually a "thing by Anders Moden." Anders was inspired by a David Harkey effect, but came up with an entirely different method. He posted this on the Electronic Grymoire as "shareware." Tim Ellis was one of the few that liked it and paid Anders to use it. Tim worked with it a lot and added some of his own refinements. He is now, with Anders permission, performing it in his shows, as well as teaching it in his lectures. His handling is published in his new lecture notes, "24 Years of Living Next Door to Ellis." Anders original handling can be found in an issue of Channel One, though I regret I dont' know the specific number. Perhaps someone else here knows.

In any case, as you said, it's absolutely brilliant. I seriously debated whether or not to buy the notes and learn the method (Tim & Sue-Anne were only teaching it in a special post-lecture workshop to those who bought the lecture notes) because I wasn't sure I wanted to know - it was incredible to watch. It's something that I think I may use, however, so I ended up buying the notes. I haven't used it yet, but I can't wait for the chance to really fry some people with it.

The Tim Ellis effect is astounding to see. There are also the additional aural illusions of the pop when the can opens and the crinkling sounds as the can expands and the wrinkles straighten out. Totally freaks people out. (including myself and about 20 other magicians that were at his lecture here)

Yeah - I know that reaction! He and Sue-Anne lectured here a few months ago (was it January?), and the room full of about 40 magicians all took a collective gasp when the can started to de-crush.

The best part is that you can (and most definitely should) hand the can out for examination IMMEDIATELY - the modification made is so small and easily concealed that 99% of the people won't find it unless they examine the can extremely closely.

Though it's not suitable for a walkaround situation (reset's a bitch), it can certainly be done in a more formal close-up setting, parlor setting, or even stage setting (depending on how big the stage is - you'll want them to be able to see it happening).

On the credits, I believe Tim calls his version "Soda Can Resurrection," while Anders calls his "Recycled Soda." I'll track down that Channel One issue number for anyone interested - I know I have it written down somewhere.

This Coke can thing sounds really cool. Can anyone point out the differences in the handlings? I.e. Why is one better or more practical or easier than the other? And indeed, how practical is it? And if I can be a bit of a pain, does anyone have contact info for the folks who are selling it? Thanks everyone!

I haven't seen Anders handling, but since his and Tim Ellis's rely on the same basic principle, I can give a few comments on it.

You can pour your self a drink, crush the can and then later restore it. However, you will have to switch it for a prepared can at some point. I was expecting this at the lecture (I knew they'd be performing this effect), but the way Tim & Sue-Anne handled it completely fried me - it's covered perfectly. That was mainly due to their acting abilities when doing the switch. It was 100% casual.

I believe one of the differences is the way the can is resealed. Personally, I prefer Tim's setup for this - I feel it's cleaner.

As I stated in an earlier post, this is something you can only really do one time in an evening. There's also a restriction on when in the show it can be performed. I realize that's a bit vague, but I don't want to give anything away.

That said, it's an incredibly visual - and as has been pointed out aural - effect. Once the switch is done there's pretty much nothing to see. You hold the can at your fingertips and it expands. You can see and hear the can expanding. Once it has completely de-crushed, you show the opening and turn the can upside down to show it empty. Then, you blow on the top to reseal it and make a magical gesture to refill the can. You can then pop open the can, pour out a new drink and and the can and drink to anyone you like.

And, obviously, David Harkey's effect can be found in the bound Apocalypse volumes that have been released. I know absolutely nothing about this effect aside from the fact that it's an enitrely different method than the Moden/Ellis versions.

Hi guys, a few folk emailed me re: this discussion on 'Soda Resurrection'. Yes, we do sell lecture notes which include (along with other effects and essays) the instructions and proper crediting for 'Soda Resurrection'. We are currently trying to get a good credit card system up on our site, and hope that we'll have all of our notes and stuff on sale in a week or so. (End of April). The notes the can trick appears in are '24 Years of Living Next Door to Ellis'. My version is certainly based on Anders' idea, however when I first performed it after reading it on the EG (where Anders' initially posted it several years ago) it got no reaction from the audience whatsoever. It took quite a few minor (but crucial) changes to the handling, the routining, the technical side of it, and especially the patter, to really sell the thing. I must say that it is easy to do, but even easier to do badly. Jep Hostetler said he saw a guy attempt it at a Magic Club Meeting, and the guy obviously had just heard about the method, not learned the handling, and Jep said it looked shocking... and VERY obvious. As we say when we lecture this piece, it is essential to really spend time playing with this thing so you don't botch it up in public and ruin it for everyone. We are so serious about this, Sue-Anne runs an extra workshop after the lecture just for those who buy '24 Years of Living Next Door to Ellis' so she can take them step by step through every detail we've learned about this trick. It really saves you guys time as you don't have to make the same mistakes we did.

Anyway, it's an amazing effect. We've been having so much fun with it here in Australia (it's one of our trademark effects) that we really didn't want to tip it at all. Peer pressure is what's caused us to release it. We'd rather people learn how to do it properly from us than to attempt half-baked versions based on whispered methods. The best thing about this trick is that once you learn the secret, you simply don't WANT to tell any of your friends. You'll really enjoy being the only one in your area doing it.

And even better than that... it looks just as magical to the performer as it does to the audience!

When Tim and Sue-Anne appeared at Monday Night Magic they included the Soda Can Resurrection and I wrote it up as part of my review (it appears on Tim and Sue-Anne's website under "Monday Night Magic"). It is spectacular.

Someone on the Second Deal (where I had also posted the review) tipped the Anders Modens source (the Electronic Grymoire) and I posted (on the EG) that the trick was in print. I was besieged by emails asking me to reveal the source, but Tim and Sue-Anne had made the trick so much their own that I refused -- I didn't think the information was mine to reveal.

It is a spectacular trick. (By the way, so is Anders Modens' "Ebony and Ivory," a linking rubber band trick that has to be seen to be believed.)

Well, it is a FANTASTIC trick on TV (I know, I've done it), but only if it's done PROPERLY. It sounds like Blaine did a poor combo of Anders original method with some of my tips, but did exactly what Sue-Anne teaches people NOT to do it the can workshop we give at our lectures. The only odd thing is that, apparently, Anders sold Blaine worldwide TV rights to the trick... Hmmm.. I understand Blaine could buy the rights to Anders original version, but my version too?

Considering how astounding this looked at FFFF last year when I saw Tim do it (really breathtaking, took my breath away and haven't felt that way about a trick for several years), it didn't photograph well at all. Blaine just reached onto the ground behind the guy and picked up the can. It looked slightly crushed but not much, and you could barely see it expand (and I have a 55 inch TV). Disappointing. Regardless of what you think about David Copperfield, if he had done this trick on TV, it would have been well photographed so at least the effect was clear. For anyone who has not seen this, I MUST emphasize what an absolutely incredible effect it is and how good it looks when Tim does it.

Richard, thank you so much for your kind comments. If anyone wants to see it "live", and be taught how to do it properly by Sue-Anne, email Danny Archer at Lecturenet@aol.com, and we can come and lecture to your club! We'll be touring the USA again January to March 2003, and sometime in June/July 2003 as well. All the best from downunder!

Nice reaction! Sue-Anne and I did it on a live cross from the dealer's room at the Milwaukee SAM Convention in 2000. It gets a VERY good reaction when presented in context. That's why I was so surprised at Blaine. Maybe if he'd seen it performed and not just read about it he would have done a better job of it.

I started doing it in 1997 after Anders put out his version on the EG. I tried and tried but it got no real reaction. It wasn't until I modified a few technical bits and handling details but also, most importantly, the patter and structure of the routine that goes with the trick, that it REALLY started to kill! Since then, it's been one of our signature pieces. It's too good to keep to ourselves unfortunately (and the only way to do that would have been to never perform it for magicians) so when people started trying half-hearted versions of the trick, we decided to lecture it. That way, anyway who wants to do it, can learn to do it properly.

For those interested in the 'Beer Trick', Anders version was called 'Recycled Soda' but now is called 'Healed and Sealed', the Ellis & Webster verion is called 'Soda Resurrection'.

I have done it with beer once, for a tradeshow, but it's WAY better with diet cola. Beer has a tendency to foam up when you open then can while cola doesn't. Sue-Anne actually advises against using beer in the workshop she gives.

Hey, Tim! Great to have you join us.I've been using Soda Resurrection since Sue-Ann taught it to me when you guys were here in Nashville. The response it gets is amazing. Lay people just don't believe they saw you do itRick

I was blown away when I saw my occasional performing partner, Igor, perform the effect a couple of months ago. My question is, Now that Blaine has shown the effect and more and more magicians are learning it, will laymen start EXPECTING resurrection the instant they see a crushed can? And will that be putting a problematic degree of "heat" on the can too early in the routine?

Originally posted by Ralph Bonheim:I was blown away when I saw my occasional performing partner, Igor, perform the effect a couple of months ago. My question is, Now that Blaine has shown the effect and more and more magicians are learning it, will laymen start EXPECTING resurrection the instant they see a crushed can? And will that be putting a problematic degree of "heat" on the can too early in the routine?

Unlike the floating trick, I dont feel people will remeber this one. It was shown on tv fairly poorly and only once. Not to mention the focus of the program was on the pole stunt and not on magic. People remeber the tricks from the first one but they were shown 5 or 6 times each during the program. Id like to add the ratings were lower than the ice stunt episode. You need not worry anout the audience in performing this trick. My only concern is too many magi having seen it on tv will now add it to their acts.

Originally posted by Tim Ellis:For those interested in the 'Beer Trick', Anders version was called 'Recycled Soda' but now is called 'Healed and Sealed', the Ellis & Webster verion is called 'Soda Resurrection'.